


Ashweeper

by faerieMagic07



Series: Tales of the Great Lion [1]
Category: Chronicles of Narnia - All Media Types, Chronicles of Narnia - C. S. Lewis
Genre: Cinderella Elements, F/M, Fairy Tale Retellings, Folktales, Gen, cinderella story, fairytales - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-12
Updated: 2020-06-12
Packaged: 2021-03-03 18:41:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,506
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24680230
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/faerieMagic07/pseuds/faerieMagic07
Summary: This collection was researched by two sister fauns who went through the hillsides and cottages of Narnia to gather folklore and tales. They then compiled it in a book. The result is a collection of tales eagerly told on firesides which have captivated Narnian children for many generations.
Series: Tales of the Great Lion [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1784371
Kudos: 2





	Ashweeper

A/N: It's been a long time since my mind palace could gurgle another story. A man assaulted me, none of my friends believed my testimony, then got diagnosed with PTSD. So all the simple stories I was spinning and lovingly creating in my head turned into unbearable nightmares. It's fading now. I hope. I'm glad I am now able to write again.

Disclaimer: I do not own Narnia. But if C. S. Lewis had lived a little longer, wrote more, and weren't so misogynistic, you would have been spared by my pen.

.oOo.

Once upon a time, there lived a family with three little girls. They all looked alike for they were all sisters. But one sister was come from the father's first marriage. Her skin was as dark as coal, and her eyes were globes as dark as twilight. Her mother died and her father remarried. And so she had two more sisters that happened to look the same, but they had not her skin. A day came when her father died also, and she was left to the care of her cruel stepmother and step-sisters. And she would have ashes of the fireplace always. And that was how she gained a cruel step-mother, an evil step-sister, and a good step-sister.

They would call,

"Ashweeper,  
come hither,  
for the chimney needs a-sweeping,  
and the floors need a-scrubbing.  
And the clothes need a-mending."

And Ashweeper would answer,

"Hither am I."

One night, because her step-mother had beaten her more badly than usual, she went towards the seashore, near a cave to weep. In ashes, she wept. And that was why her name was called Ashweeper.

Then the wind blew from the sea with displeasure, and it shook a fruit tree, that had golden fruits. It began to move in the wind so that she thought it was alive.

"Golden fruit tree, do you live?"

The Golden tree laughed. "From where I come from, all trees dances. It is not barren as this land."

"It must be a wonderful place. Where can I find it?"

"Come deeper, and look between those rocks," said the Golden tree.

It was then that she noticed a glisten inside the caves. At first, she thought it was just the moon come to reflect a surface. Then she stepped closer, deeper and deeper into the cave, it was something more.

For on one of the chinks and chasm inside the darkness of the rocks, there was a light like a diamond. As Ashweeper stepped closer, the chink became bigger and bigger until it was no longer a chink, but a small passageway in between the rocks. And inside the passageway, oh wonder! A sunny forest. A forest whose leaves were red and orange crisp from the sun, yellow ones and heathy green ones all at once. So she went hither to the land that lay between the rocks, and very soon she found herself being in that country. Which was larger than she imagined. And it was light and sunny here just as it was dark and cold where she came from.

Wandering through the forest, she came across a man tied to a tree, his clothes in tatters, his mouth gagged and his face dirty. He motioned with his eyes, and thereupon she saw, a group of slave-traders breaking their meal in merriment.

She walked silently on the other side away from the man, her bare feet barely making a sound. She tied a low tree to the ground with strands of grass. Then she padded back to where the man was. When the trees could not take no more being tied down, it pulled itself up and made some noise.

The slave-traders were shocked in their merriment. For already they were nervous. The lands of Narnia were free people. It was against the law to get slaves here. So they rushed to see who could make such a great noise.

When they were gone, she broke the ropes that held him and set him free. Together they hid behind the cave.

Even by this, Ashweeper knew not that the boy she saved was the prince. They parted ways and Ashweeper went back to her stepmother's house.

The next day in Narnia, a big consort of the king's soldiers came, captured the slave-traders and charged them with high treason against harming the prince. The slave-traders pleaded that they did not know he was a prince that's why they captured him.

The king replied, "What you do to my least of subjects, you do also to me." And so they were put to jail.

Now there came a time that the prince could not forget the girl who had saved him. In his attempts to find the girl did he open the palace wide. A proclamation was made that every creature in Narnia is invited to a grand ball. The ball that was to commemorate the year of the coming of Aslan, by whose blood all Narnia was saved, wherefore he has broken the old law where all traitors had to be put to death, or else all Narnia would be overturned.

At the same time, in Ashweeper's world, there was also a ball. And their household was to come.

But the evil stepsister and the stepmother said, "You are all in ash! You cannot go to the carriage with us, it will all be covered in cinders!"

She ran to the cave again and cried in the fruit tree near the cave. Then the Golden tree came to life, because a Dryad was living in it, and said, "Dear girl, come hither. I will give thee a dress of golden leaves spun in dreams."

"Then must I go to the ball."

"Nay! 'tis no place for thee. Come thee with me, for we are all invited to the palace of Cair Paravel. For in Cair Paravel, all creatures are invited."

The birds took with them golden threads in their beaks. And the mice came and gave her firestones. And the golden fruit tree spun it all together using the thin fabric of dreams. Up from her arms came the intricate vine and flower patterns, then all over her body. The leaves sprung themselves into a gown. Then atop it all, she was finally covered with the thin fabric, so soft, you feel that it would melt if you touch it with your hand.

And so Ashweeper went with the talking Golden tree with her dress spun in dreams. The Golden fruit tree asked a horse named Silvermane to give her a ride.

"Horse, she will be your human.  
Human, she will be your horse.  
Go in peace and merriment,"  
declared the Golden tree

They rode swift into the night to Cair Paravel.

The palace was a marvel! Intricate tapestries and chandeliers hung from the ceiling. Flowers of different colours decorated each vase. And everyone was dressed beautifully. Her dress herself was like cotton and silk, and the little children would want to hold it just to see it flow out of their hands like soft water.

When the prince saw her, he recognized her at once. He went to her and took her hand, and they danced and danced.

"We clean up well," he whispered to her while dancing.

Then when midnight came did Ashweeper become anxious to leave because her dress was only spun by the fabric of the dryads and they dissolve when dreams start to take form. She ran away from the castle. The clock ticked behind her and her clothes dissolved like dust and ashes as she rode the wind with her Silvermane. She got back to the passageway in the cave into her world.

When she got back to the house, the evil step-sister was come from the ball and was desirous to gaud her for not going.

"We are real women," said they. "for we go to balls!"

But when they went home, did they see Ashweeper sing songs and sway from music. The cruel step-mother and the evil stepsister were not happy to see her not sad at all. For, she must feel the pangs of not going. She must feel pain. It was the business of their lives.

So they asked her, "where have you been?"

And she said, why to the ball, of course! There were tapestries and tapestries all spun with gold, and the Dryads and the Naiads come and we were all a-merry!

And so they understood and laughed. Ashweeper had not gone to the ball! said they. She imagined herself away because of her extreme sorrow and despair!

Meanwhile, in the kingdom of Narnia, the prince made a search all around the kingdom for the mystery girl.

The Golden tree told Ashweeper  
"The kingdom of Narnia is searching for thee."

In the morning, she tried to go, but as soon as she stepped her foot into the cave, her stepmother comes calling,

"Ashweeper,  
come hither,  
for the chimney needs a-sweeping,  
and the floors need a-scrubbing.  
And the clothes need a-mending."

The good step-sister saw Ashweeper in the cave and asked, "Why are you sad, Ashweeper?"

"Because I want to see my friend."

"Well then, I shall pretend to be you for one day. Then you can go and see your friend."

So the good step-sister rubbed coal on her skin and when the cruel step-mother called,

"Ashweeper,  
come hither,  
for the chimney needs a-sweeping,  
and the floors need a-scrubbing.  
And the clothes need a-mending."

The good stepsister came hither, and the cruel stepmother did not notice the difference.

But the evil step-sister saw Ashweeper leave the house. She followed her so she could tell more stories about how she was up to no good. She saw Ashweeper sang to the old tree and in it fell the silks of the birds and clothed her with splendour.

Then the evil stepsister called, in her mother's voice,

"Ashweeper,  
come hither,  
for the chimney needs a-sweeping,  
and the floors need a-scrubbing.  
And the clothes need a-mending."

So Ashweeper turned, and the dress didst dissolve around her. She ran back to the house.

The evil step-sister, knowing Ashweeper's secret, She rubbed coal and into her skin to look like Ashweeper, and sang her song. The Golden fruit tree, thinking it was Ashweeper, did he clothe the girl in splendour also. The stepsister took an axe to cut the Golden fruit tree, for the tree knew her secret.

Ashweeper went back to the cave. She called and called but her dryad friend did not answer. Finally, she saw the Golden fruit tree hacked by an axe. Not one fruit stayed golden after the cut. The dryad living on that tree lay dying on the glade, an axe on his tree.

The older step-sister saw the passageway. She carried with her the ash girl as her form of revenge, thinking, nobody would recognize her. Both of them went beyond the passageway, then the royal guards found her. The step-sister wore the golden dress spun in dreams. Thinking that the evil stepsister was the girl dressed in splendour, she was carried into the palace, When the carriage came bearing the prince's bride, the prince was overjoyed and went out to meet it. There was Ashweeper in the carriage! The evil step-sister was able to fool the prince, for they were sisters and they looked the same. She hid Ashweeper and immediately commanded the guards to put her in the kitchen. And so the prince did not know whence she was.

The evil stepsister was treated with sherbets in flagoons ("Calormene food, your highness", said one of the fauns.) and turkeys, and pomegranates.

What was to be done with Ashweeper? There in the palace, Ashweeper tended to the geese.

The prince questioned the fake stepsister about everything Ashweeper and him had done and she answered them all as if she was the same person. Though there was a faint gnawing in his heart that something was amiss.

While he, the king and the stepsister were discussing the wedding, the prince caught sight of something in the fireplace.

"A lion!" says he. "I saw a lion in the fireplace."

"My prince," said the step-sister with a bit of shaky voice. "There are a lot of figures that can be seen in the fire. Why, I see a rabbit and a faun also!"

"Nay, my princess. Tis Aslan's face I saw no doubt."

He went nearer into the fire but the evil step-sister accidentally tipped a glass of wine in the fire, and it died down to its embers.

The prince searched the castle for another fireplace. Finally, he came to the kitchen, whereupon he found Ashweeper sweeping ashes into the hearth covered in cinders. The prince looked into her eyes and recognized her at once.

Ashweeper and the stepsister were brought before the Queen. Both Ashweeper and the step-sister could answer all questions of the king, so the Queen knew not what to do.

At last, Ashweeper said, "By your majesty's leave, set two firewood circle outside one for each of us. Whoever's firewood hath fire by Aslan's will, let it be declared as the real princess."

And so the Queen said, "If Aslan wills it, so shall it be done." Two firewood was set up.

Then the evil stepsister said, "Let oil be poured to my firewood a thousand over!" and so it was done.

Then Ashweeper said, "Let water be poured to my firewood a thousand over!" and so it was done.

The evil stepsister called first. She called Aslan for help. For the fire to come down from the heavens. The oil was poured a thousand over. The fires were expected a thousand over. But nothing came.

Then it was Ashweeper's turn. She gracefully danced around the fire while singing,

"Aslan, Aslan, Aslan,  
Come hither to my aid  
Show my true identity,  
Even as the serpent forbade."

Her skirt, dirty with ash though it may be, glided with her like a Dryad in midsummer. And while she danced, cinders slowly shook off from her body and fell into the firewood. After she finished her song, she stopped and stood aside to watch it burn from embers. Then the firewood burst into a glorious fire! And all the Narnians looked in wonder, for it burned gold into their hearts.

The evil stepsister, on the other hand, had oil spill to her skin because there were a-many, and her real skin was revealed. She was not Ashweeper! She was pretending to be, for they almost looked alike, but now nobody was fooled.

So the prince took Ashweeper's hand and they danced around the fire. Very soon, the Dryads and the Naiads, and the fauns and the beavers, and the humans joined in. And the fauns took out their flutes, and the dwarves took out their drums. And it went a-beating with the fire.

The prince and Ashweeper were married that very night by a Centaur named Grimstone. And they lived happily for many springs and winter.


End file.
